Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Why I loved 'Curb Your Entusiasm'

Ten years ago at the annual TV Press Tour, Chris Albrecht, then the big man in charge of HBO, was asked what was going on with Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David's insanely funny comedy.
"We're working hard with Larry and hopefully there will be a season of Curb in '07," he said. "The reason we don't know about Curb is Larry was very unsure after the last season. He felt like last season could have been the final season."
Thankfully, it wasn't. 
Fast forward to today when HBO announced that after a five-year hiatus, Curb will return for a ninth season.
I'm happy, no, downright giddy is more like it. While David has been busy playing one-time presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders on Saturday Night Live, he was sorely missed playing an exaggerated version of himself.
Curb was funnier than most of TV's so-called comedies. I could watch the lovably gruff David arguing with everyone from big name celebrities (Ted Danson, Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer) to no-name department store clerks for several more seasons.
People magazine has never published a "Crankiest Man Alive" special issue, but if it did, Larry David would grace the cover every year. He made Scrooge look like a kind-hearted grandfather.
I was sorry when HBO kicked Curb to the curb. 
But good shows never really die.